I'm in Walmart. The couple in front of me make two transactions. One for food that they pay with food stamps, and another for all the stuff they can't buy with food stamps...this one they pay in cash. Why not just give the couple cash instead of food stamps? Why do we take this attitude that poor people are incapable of making good decisions?

(28-02-2014 08:45 PM)Heywood Jahblome Wrote: I'm in Walmart. The couple in front of me make two transactions. One for food that they pay with food stamps, and another for all the stuff they can't buy with food stamps...this one they pay in cash. Why not just give the couple cash instead of food stamps? Why do we take this attitude that poor people are incapable of making good decisions?

Some people (not just poor people) are incapable of making good decision. Even if most people make good decisions, those that do not end up taking from people who do. The rules and accountability in the program are intended to prevent waste, abuse, and fraud.

(28-02-2014 09:36 PM)BryanS Wrote: Some people (not just poor people) are incapable of making good decision. Even if most people make good decisions, those that do not end up taking from people who do. The rules and accountability in the program are intended to prevent waste, abuse, and fraud.

Yes but you don't feel the need to regulate the choices rich and middle class people make when they go to the supermarket...even though you know some will make poor ones.

Why single out the poor? Why does every poor person have to be treated like a child just to prevent a few poor people from making bad choices? Why do I have wait longer in line so that the poor person can do two transactions...one with food stamps for the Margarita mix and the other with cash for the Jose Cuervo tequila? Wouldn't eliminating food stamps and the bureaucracy that goes with it save a lot of resources?

Foodstamps and recipients would be targeted for corruption and theft purposes.

It's one thing to target foodstamps or the recipients to fraudulently get basic necessities, like food. The incentives and "markets" for that are low.
It's another thing to target foodstamps and recipients if you can buy anything.

(28-02-2014 09:52 PM)Ferdinand Wrote: If druggies could get cash instead of food stamps, they wouldn't be buying food.

When druggies get food stamps and wish to purchase drugs, they find creative and often wasteful ways to convert them into cash. It is not unheard of for druggies to buy bottled water, dump out the water, and redeem the bottle for the deposit. Then they can go buy a bottle of hand sanitizer and drink that.

(28-02-2014 10:01 PM)PoolBoyG Wrote: Foodstamps and recipients would be targeted for corruption and theft purposes.

It's one thing to target foodstamps or the recipients to fraudulently get basic necessities, like food. The incentives and "markets" for that are low.
It's another thing to target foodstamps and recipients if you can buy anything.

Are you asking for a basic income?

I'm saying give poor people cash instead of food stamps. Let them be free to choose to purchase what they want just like everyone else is. Stop treating them like children just because they are poor. Stop wasting tax dollars on a bureaucracy needed to administer and police food stamps.

Are you suggesting that poor people are incapable of protecting themselves from theft or corruption?